Barons & bastards

I. INTRODUCTION As a young lad I often wondered how I and my ancestors came by the name DUCKENFIELD. It is, I am sure you will agree an extraordinarily unique name. My father, THOMAS ADAMS DUCKENFIELD, inspired me to continue his quest for my family's genealogical roots, especially with regard to our DUCKENFIELD ancestry. What follows is as complete an account of the history of the DUCKENFIELD family as I have been able to bring to light at present. For organizational efficiency, I have chosen to present my findings first geographically and second chronologically. I shall begin with a section on the DUCKENFIELD gleanings in England, followed by descriptions of places and individuals that have carried the DUCKENFIELD name in England, Jamaica, Australia, Virginia, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Texas, New York, and Pennsylvania. Between the years 1750 and 1850, the overwhelming majority of DUCKENFIELDs in the Americas were of mixed African, Native American, and European ancestry. It is my aim eventually to show how all of the DUCKENFIELD families mentioned are connected. Except for the Virginia line of DUCKENFIELDs from which I am descended -- hailing from Richmond City, Henrico County, and Hanover County -- I can only establish likely, but not absolutely certain, connections. In closing, let me echo the genealogist's motto that "the study of one's own ancestry is not so much for the benefit of past or present generations, as it is for those generations yet to come." Thomas Averill Duckenfield